[95] TAJIK OPPOSITION RESIGNED TO GOVERNMENT VICTORY IN REFERENDUM
20 June 2003
RUSSIA

In a major Moscow press conference with more than 700 journalists on 20
June, President Vladimir Putin said that he has been assured in recent
days by Iranian President Mohammad Khatami that Tehran has no plans to
develop nuclear weapons, Russian and Western media reported. Putin said
that, according to information available to him, Iran has agreed to
sign the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Additional
Protocol to expand international inspections of Iran's nuclear program.
Putin said that Russia's position on Iran's nuclear program is much
closer to that of the United States than many seem to think. Both
Washington and Moscow, Putin said, expect all countries to comply with
international nonproliferation regimes, especially countries like Iran
that have signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Moscow
categorically insists that Iran comply with all IAEA regulations and
has noted that the latest IAEA session found no violations on Tehran's
part, Putin said. VY

Russian Atomic Energy Ministry spokesman Nikolai Shingarev said on 19
June that the major provisions of the IAEA statement coincide with the
Russian position, ITAR-TASS reported. "This statement opens the way to
closer cooperation between Iran and the IAEA and gives hopes that Iran
will sign the Additional Protocol," Shingarev said, adding that the
IAEA's position and Iran's desire for greater transparency in its
nuclear program open the way for even greater cooperation between
Tehran and Moscow in nuclear engineering. Russian Deputy Foreign
Minister Yurii Fedotov said the IAEA statement will not negatively
affect Iran-Russia relations, according to ITAR-TASS. BS

At the same press conference, President Putin rejected the idea of
creating a parliamentary republic in Russia, Russian media reported.
Putin said that, bearing in mind that the Russian Federation is a
multiethnic, multiconfessional country, any form of government "other
than a presidential republic would be unacceptable and even dangerous."
He said that citizens should not be deprived of their right to directly
elect the head of state. VY

At the same press conference, President Putin was asked about a recent
National Strategy Council report alleging that there exists an
"oligarchs' plot" to create a parliamentary republic in Russia in order
to institutionalize the oligarchs' hold on political power (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 27 May and 3 June 2003). Putin said that he sees nothing
wrong with large companies having an impact on national politics.
However, he said that individual representatives of business should not
be able to use the political system to advance their own business
interests. He said that he has made good on his promise that all
oligarchs be equally distant from the center of power. "Some are not
there and some are far away," Putin said, quoting poet Aleksandr
Pushkin and apparently referring to tycoons Vladimir Gusinskii and
Boris Berezovskii, who both left the country under pressure from the
Kremlin. "One should not demonize the oligarchs," Putin said, adding
that he dislikes the term "oligarch" in general. In Russia the term has
come to mean a person who uses access to political power to steal a
fortune, Putin said. "I am trying to make sure there can never be such
persons anymore," he concluded. VY

Sergei Ivanov on 18 June told journalists in Moscow that Russia will
continue its policy of withdrawing from costly military bases far from
Russia in favor of boosting its presence at bases located in CIS
countries near Russia's borders, gazeta.ru and other Russian media
reported. "We have plans to establish new military bases abroad,
including an air base at Kant in Kyrgyzstan," Ivanov said. He also
mentioned the 201st Motorized Infantry Division, which is deployed in
Tajikistan and which should acquire the status of a military base by
the end of the year, gazeta.ru reported. He added that the Defense
Ministry will increase its presence in space by launching 35 new
military reconnaissance satellites this year. Russia currently has
about 100 satellites in orbit, many of which are dual military and
civilian use. Ivanov's statement seems designed to counter the negative
impression of the military resulting from Russia's withdrawal from its
bases in Lourdes, Cuba, and Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam; the withdrawal of
Russian peacekeepers from the Balkans; and the impending evacuation of
Russian bases in Georgia, gazeta.ru commented. VY

The number of army generals continues to increase even as the amount of
military funding decreases due to corruption, "Argumenty i fakty," No.
25, commented. On the eve of the 12 June national holiday, 90 officers
were given new general-level ranks, including ground forces commander
Colonel General Nikolai Kormiltsev and military-intelligence (GRU) head
Army General Valentin Korabelnikov. Meanwhile, Audit Chamber
investigator Aleksandr Piskunov announced that the chamber has
submitted to the Prosecutor-General's Office documentation on the
alleged embezzlement of 2.4 billion rubles ($77.5 million) that was
allocated from the federal budget to "enhance the conditions of the
armed forces," the weekly reported. The Audit Chamber's evidence
reportedly establishes that conditions in military continue to
deteriorate and procurements continue to be made at inflated prices. In
addition, the Prosecutor-General's Office has opened criminal-fraud
cases involving the embezzlement of money obtained for commercial space
launches from the Baikonur, Plesetsk, and Svobodnyi cosmodromes,
"Argumenty i fakty" reported. VY

Federal Security Service (FSB) spokesman Arkadii Murashov has confirmed
Western media reports that a group of terrorists based in Chechnya
attempted to carry out major terrorist acts in St. Petersburg during
the 30 May-1 June summits involving leaders from Russia, the CIS, the
European Union, and the United States, "Argumenty i fakty," No. 25,
reported. Murashov alleged that a group with links to international
terrorism networks sent a column of an unspecified number of trucks
loaded with explosives to St. Petersburg, but that the FSB intercepted
the trucks near the city and arrested all the people in them. Murashov
did not say how many people were arrested, where the arrests took
place, the amount of explosives involved, or what buildings in St.
Petersburg were targeted. Meanwhile, Moscow city Prosecutor Mikhail
Avdyukhov told "Rossiiskaya gazeta" on 20 June that radical Chechen
field commander Shamil Basaev last year planned four major terrorist
acts in Moscow, including seizing the State Duma building. Among them
was the 19 October 2002 car-bomb explosion near a McDonald's restaurant
in which one man was killed (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 October 2002).
Avdyukhov said this information was obtained during the investigation
of the 23-26 October 2002 hostage-taking incident at a Moscow theater
that left more than 120 hostages and 40 Chechen hostage takers dead
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 26 October 2002). VY

At a seminar at the Central Election Commission on 19 June, Justice
Ministry official Aleksandr Kudryavtsev said that some 51 political
parties have been officially registered -- 41 of which are currently
eligible to participate in the 7 December State Duma elections,
ITAR-TASS reported. Kudryavtsev added that there are, in addition, 45
more organizing committees that can seek registration before the end of
the year. However, he noted that only four of the 51 parties were
registered within the last 5 1/2 months, RIA-Novosti reported. He also
revealed that the ministry has denied registration to some 30
organizations, "Kommersant-Daily" reported on 20 June. In addition, Tax
Ministry official Tatyana Mekhova said that six parties have not
presented their latest financial accounts to the ministry, which could
prevent them from participating in the elections, according to the
daily. The report did not specify to which parties Mekhova was
referring. JAC

Speaking at the same seminar, Irina Sinitsina, head of the executive
committee of the Party for the Development of Entrepreneurship, said
the party's regional branches -- particularly in Tatarstan -- are being
tormented by inspections, the number of which is not limited by law,
"Kommersant-Daily" reported on 20 June. Vladimir Ponomarenko, chairman
of the executive committee of the Party of Pensioners, expressed his
dissatisfaction that the organs conducting the checks each demand a
different set of documents. Meanwhile, "Novaya gazeta," No. 42,
reported that alleged irregularities have been discovered in party
registration documents in Kirov. For example, the office of the chief
federal inspector for Kirov Oblast, Valentin Pugach, reportedly found
that only eight of the 102 people listed as members of the local branch
of the Democratic Party of Russia actually exist. JAC

[10] ...AND EXPERTS DEEM NATIONAL PARTIES OUT OF TOUCH WITH REGIONAL
PROBLEMS

In an article in "Vremya-MN" on 19 June, Dmitrii Orlov of the Center
for Political Technologies argues that Russia's national political
parties do not effectively reflect regional interests in their social
and economic programs. This is "not surprising" since the "majority of
them remain clubs for the political elite," Orlov writes. The Communist
Party program, according to Orlov, has only this suggestion to improve
regional economies: "The realization of regional programs for providing
employment for the population [includes] the determination of a set of
measures for liquidating unemployment." Unified Russia's manifesto
declares that "the state was established not for the resolution of
technical questions, but for the service of the general good." In the
area of regional economic policy, it suggests only that different
levels of public power be financed independently. JAC

"Vremya-MN" argued on 19 June that the legislation on media coverage of
elections passed in its third reading by the State Duma the previous
day essentially "removes the media from the election process."
According to the daily, the law -- if enacted -- would enable state
officials to decide whether a journalist or author of a letter to a
publication was attempting to persuade readers to change their
political positions on the eve of an election. An article about a
record crop "could be taken as campaign advertising for the Agrarian
Party." Any mention of delays in pension payments "could be taken for
campaign advertising against Unified Russia," while "an advertisement
for apple juice could be taken as secretly expressing support for
Yabloko." The Federation Council is expected to consider the
legislation on 25 June. JAC

Also on 19 June, Yabloko leader Grigorii Yavlinskii said that he
considers the current situation at TVS "a continuation of the policy to
eliminate independent media outlets in Russia," Ekho Moskvy reported.
He added that perhaps the example of TVS "will finally make it clear
that the myth about successful management by the oligarchy is nothing
but a myth." Earlier in the week, TVS Editor in Chief Yevgenii Kiselev
warned shareholders that the station would go off the air after 23 June
if it cannot secure funding (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 June 2003). JAC

First Deputy Media Minister Mikhail Seslavinskii has sent a letter to
the Prosecutor-General's Office asking it to take the appropriate
measures to counter the alleged interference of Komi republican
authorities in the editorial policies of local mass media outlets,
Russian media reported on 19 June. According to Seslavinskii, the Komi
Mass Media Committee sent a letter to the editors of local newspapers
reminding them that their publications receive government financial
support and they are therefore obligated to publish information about
the most important economic and social developments in Komi, RosBalt
reported. The committee document also outlined which themes are
priorities and which are not. In Seslavinskii's opinion, the
committee's letter violates the federal law on mass media. JAC

[14] LEGISLATORS MULL REVISING LAW ON RELIGION AND FREEDOM OF
CONSCIENCE

Some legislators, representatives of various religions, and state
officials have been discussing revising federal legislation governing
religion, "Rossiiskaya gazeta" reported on 19 June. State Duma
Committee for Public and Religious Associations Chairman Viktor
Zorkaltsev (Communist) told the daily that either amendments need to be
introduced to some 150 laws or, in the best case, a new "code on
religion" should be adopted. However, Andrei Sebentsov, deputy chairman
of the governmental Commission on Religious Organizations, said that
the adoption of such a code would violate the principle of separation
of church and state. According to the newspaper, the discussion so far
is revolving around a second version of the law on freedom of
conscience. "Nezavisimaya gazeta" on 9 June reported that an
interfactional deputy group has been formed in the State Duma called
"In Support of Traditional Spiritual and Moral Values." The newspaper
alleged that members of the group represent the various religions in
Russia. For example, Communist Deputy Sergei Glazev represents the
interests of the Russian Orthodox Church, while People's Deputy Deputy
Gadzhi Makhachev represents Muslims, and Unity Deputy Gasan Mirzoev
represents the Jews. JAC

[15] ST. PETERSBURG CANDIDATES NOW ALLOWED TO SPEND A LOT ON THE FEW
VOTERS NEEDED TO SHOW UP

St. Petersburg legislators adopted on 18 June amendments to local
election law lowering the percentage of voters required to validate an
election from 50 percent to 20 percent, "Gazeta" reported on 19 June.
Deputies also increased the maximum size of a candidate's election fund
from 100,000 minimum monthly salaries to 500,000, which is about 50
million rubles ($16 million). JAC

An emergency situation in the agriculture sector has been declared in
the Republic of Adygeya, RTR reported on 19 June. All crops have
suffered because of the recent drought, and some farms are likely to
lose half of their harvest. Already bread costs on average one ruble
more than usual in the republic, according to the station. The previous
day, Agriculture Minister Aleksei Gordeev told an audience in Ufa that
there are no grounds for the recent rise in bread prices in some
regions. These increases, according to Gordeev, have been initiated by
retailers, and he promised that the government "will deal with the
problem." At a cabinet meeting on 17 June, President Putin expressed
his concern about the state of agriculture in southern Russia and asked
Gordeev to look into the situation, "Rossiiskaya gazeta" reported on 18
June. On 19 June, Radio Rossii reported that swarms of locusts are
threatening to destroy crops in Stavropol Krai. JAC

[17] CHECHEN ADMINISTRATION HEAD SAYS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS WILL TAKE
PLACE IN OCTOBER

Speaking in Moscow on 19 June, Chechen administration head Akhmed-hadji
Kadyrov said that presidential elections will be held in Chechnya in
October, and parliamentary elections three months later, ITAR-TASS
reported (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," 13 June 2003). Kadyrov said the
precise date of the presidential ballot will be stipulated in a decree
signed by President Putin. He predicted that there will be "three or
four main contenders" for the ballot, which he has already made clear
he envisages winning. LF

Ingush President Murad Zyazikov named Timur Akhmetovich Mogushkov on 19
June to head the republic's new government, ITAR-TASS and ingushetia.ru
reported. Mogushkov served as deputy premier in the outgoing government
that Zyazikov dismissed earlier this month (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3
June 2003). LF

Prime Minister Andranik Markarian formally presented to the new
parliament on 19 June the four-year program drafted jointly by his
Republican Party of Armenia and its coalition partners, Orinats Yerkir
(Law-Based State) and the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation-Dashnaktsutiun, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau and Noyan Tapan
reported. The program envisages broad poverty-reduction measures (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 18 June 2003) and a crackdown on corruption.
Markarian solicited deputies' "unwavering support" and assured the
opposition that he will take into account their criticisms of the
government's performance. The program will be considered approved if
the parliament fails to vote no confidence in it by 20 June. Opposition
parties, however, control only 26 seats in the 131-member legislature,
far fewer than the minimum 44 needed to propose a no-confidence vote.
LF

Deputies from the opposition Artarutiun bloc and the National Unity
Party boycotted the 19 June parliament session, just as they did the
opening session of the new parliament on 12 June, RFE/RL's Yerevan
bureau reported. Artarutiun deputy Grigor Harutiunian predicted that
the coalition government will find it impossible to implement its
program. On 18 June, the opposition newspaper "Haykakan zhamanak,"
which is sympathetic to former President Levon Ter-Petrossian's
Armenian Pan-National Movement, observed that a government that is
itself corrupt and lacks the political will to eradicate corruption
will find it impossible to do so. LF

Addressing the parliament session on 19 June, Markarian ruled out any
increase in energy prices before the end of the year, RFE/RL's Yerevan
bureau reported. He warned that prices will probably be raised in 2004,
but assured legislators that the increase will not be so steep that
that it will "have a serious impact on the socially vulnerable strata
of the population." The cost of electricity in Armenia is 25 drams
($0.004) per kilowatt-hour, which is one of the highest rates in the
entire CIS. LF

Eight members of the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan (ADP) were
sentenced on 19 June to 15 days' and one to 10 days' imprisonment for
their participation in an unsanctioned picket of the Central Election
Commission in Baku the previous day, Turan reported on 19 June. Police
detained three other ADP members in Baku on 19 June and questioned them
for several hours, according to zerkalo.az on 20 June. LF

Georgian parliament deputy speaker Giga Tsereteli told journalists on
19 June after a meeting with Ambassador Christian Strouhal, the
director of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human
Rights (ODIHR), that ODIHR will not intervene in the ongoing dispute
between the Georgian authorities and opposition over the optimal
composition of the Central Election Commission (CEC), Caucasus Press
reported. Strouhal told journalists in Tbilisi two days earlier that it
is up to the Georgians themselves to reach consensus on the issue. In a
recent poll of 1,500 people, 38.8 percent said they believe only the
inclusion on the CEC of representatives of international organizations
can guarantee that elections are free and fair, according to Caucasus
Press on 20 June. LF

Major General Svyatoslav Nabdzorov, who is acting commander of the
Russian peacekeeping force deployed in the unrecognized Republic of
South Ossetia, criticized the Georgian authorities on 19 June for
repeatedly conducting helicopter overflights of the territory of the
unrecognized republic without first obtaining permission from the South
Ossetian authorities and the Russian peacekeeping force, Caucasus Press
reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 June 2003). On 20 June, Caucasus
Press quoted Georgian Deputy Defense Minister Gela Bezhuashvili as
denying that Georgian military helicopters have made any such
overflights. LF

Senior Georgian and Russian railway officials met in Tbilisi on 19 June
to discuss the resumption of rail communications between Russia and
Armenia via Georgia's unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia, ITAR-TASS and
Caucasus Press reported. Georgian Railways Deputy Director General
Tengiz Donadze predicted that three months would be needed to draft
plans for repairing the 175-kilometer stretch of railway that transits
Abkhazia, and that the repair work would take an additional six months
and cost up to 60 million laris ($28 million). But ITAR-TASS quoted
Georgian Railways Director Akaki Chkhaidze as estimating that repairs
would take 18 months. Georgia has proposed further talks on 26-27 June.
LF

An interim transitional local government under international
supervision must be established in Abkhazia's Gali Raion at the initial
stage of the return to their abandoned homes in that district of
Georgian displaced persons who fled during the 1992-1993 war, Georgian
Deputy Foreign Minister Merab Antadze told journalists in Tbilisi on 20
June. He added that Georgia is prepared to make unspecified concessions
if Abkhazia agrees to similarly unspecified status as a part of Georgia
subordinate to the government in Tbilisi. Antadze added that
"everything depends on whether Russia can persuade the Abkhaz
leadership to accept the international community's recommendations
concerning the political aspects" of resolving the conflict. But in
Sukhum, Abkhaz Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba told journalists on 19
June that the repatriation of Georgian displaced persons is a purely
humanitarian issue and the Tbilisi should not link it to any political
demands, Caucasus Press reported. LF

Speaking on the independent TV station Iberia on 19 June, Emzar
Kvitsiani, who is President Eduard Shevardnadze's envoy to the Kodori
Gorge, accused the leaders of the Tbilisi-based Abkhaz government and
parliament in exile of seeking to hinder the repatriation of Georgian
displaced persons to Abkhazia, Interfax reported. Tamaz Nadareishvili,
who heads the Abkhaz parliament in exile, in turn accused Kvitsiani of
complicity in the 5 June abduction of three UN observers and their
interpreter in the Kodori Gorge, Caucasus Press and the website of the
independent TV station Rustavi-2 reported on 19 June. Nadareishvili
further alleged that contrary to official Georgian denials, the
Georgian leadership paid a ransom to secure the release of the four
men, as it had done in the case of three earlier such abductions of UN
personnel (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," 13 June 2003). Kvitsiani
rejected Nadareishvili's allegations as groundless and threatened to
sue him for slander. LF

A joint session of both houses of the Kazakh parliament adopted the
controversial Land Code on 20 June with changes proposed by President
Nursultan Nazarbaev, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. According to the
report, 32 of 39 senators and 54 of 77 Mazhilis (lower house) deputies
voted for the code, which has been the cause of a major political
controversy in Kazakhstan because of the manner in which it introduces
private ownership of agricultural land. The lower house accepted the
president's proposed revisions to the original government draft the
previous day (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 June 2003). BB

Lawyers for imprisoned Kazakh journalist Sergei Duvanov announced on 19
June that the Almaty Oblast Court has refused to review the case
against their client, who was sentenced in January to 3 1/2 years'
imprisonment for statutory rape, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported.
Duvanov has always insisted on his innocence of the charge and his
supporters insist the case against the journalist and human rights
activist was politically motivated. The oblast court also refused an
appeal by relatives of the purported victim seeking a harsher sentence
for Duvanov. A Committee for the Liberation of Sergei Duvanov has been
formed, and it has announced that it will continue trying to persuade
the court to review the case. BB

Kazakhstan's Senate ratified an agreement on the demarcation of the
country's border with Turkmenistan on 19 June, Interfax-Kazakhstan
reported. The border agreement was signed by the presidents of both
countries in July 2001, and the Senate's ratification has been passed
on for President Nazarbaev's signature. According to the report,
delimitation of the Kazakh-Turkmen border was based on Soviet-era
administrative boundaries and mutually agreed-upon maps. The Caspian
Sea boundary between the two countries will be set by a separate
treaty, as will the point where the borders of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan,
and Turkmenistan meet. The same session of the Senate also ratified an
agreement with Azerbaijan on the delimitation of the boundary between
the two countries on the Caspian seabed. BB

[32] DEPOSITORS OF FIVE FAILED KYRGYZ BANKS TO GET BACK ONLY A FRACTION
OF THEIR MONEY

Representatives of governmental Agency for Bank Reorganization and Debt
Restructuring told journalists on 18 June that depositors of five
failed commercial banks cannot expect to get all their money back,
Deutsche Welle reported. According to agency official Sanzhar
Niyazaliev, the banks so far have returned only about $670,000 of the
$3.5 million owed to some 8,000 depositors, many of them pensioners.
The International Monetary Fund has offered to help work out ways for
those who have lost their savings to get their money back in order to
reduce social tensions. The affected depositors have been blocking
streets and picketing the president's office, demanding their money and
the prosecution of bank officials, none of whom has been held
accountable for the bank failures. BB

The Russian State Duma on 20 June adopted a resolution on the human
rights situation of Russian citizens in Turkmenistan, RIA-Novosti and
other Russian media reported. The resolution was adopted by a vote of
411 in favor, far more than the 226 required for passage. The
resolution attacks the unilateral actions of the Turkmen authorities to
require that holders of Turkmen-Russian dual citizenship who wish to
retain their Russian passports leave Turkmenistan by 22 June and calls
on the Turkmen leadership to retract the deadline, stop harassing
holders of dual citizenship, and drop the requirement that Russian
citizens obtain exit visas to leave the country. It also calls upon
Turkmenistan to lift restrictions on teaching the Russian language, on
rebroadcasting Russian television signals, on importing foreign
publications, and on access to foreign media and the Internet. It also
calls for removal of restrictions on freedom of movement within
Turkmenistan and urges President Vladimir Putin to ensure that the
resolution's demands are carried out in full and in a timely manner. BB

The Russian Duma's Foreign Relations Committee on 19 June recommended
that Russian citizens refrain from visiting Turkmenistan because of the
lack of security there, Interfax and a other Russian media reported,
quoting committee Chairman Dmitrii Rogozin (People's Deputy). Rogozin
spoke to journalists after a closed-door joint session of three State
Duma committees -- Foreign Relations, CIS Affairs, and Security -- at
which deputies discussed the issue of Russian citizens' rights in
Turkmenistan. Rogozin was quoted as saying that this is the first time
a CIS state has been put on the list of countries that Russians should
not visit for security reasons. BB

Reacting to Russian media reports about the revocation of dual
Turkmen-Russian citizenship and the concerns of the Russian parliament
about the rights of Russian citizens in Turkmenistan, the Turkmen
Foreign Ministry on 19 June issued a statement attacking the "ongoing
propaganda activities of the Russian media, [which are] intended to
disseminate prefabricated false information about the situation in
Turkmenistan," RIA-Novosti and turkmenistan.ru reported. Earlier, the
Foreign Ministry appealed to the Russian media to report on the
situation objectively (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 June 2003). In its 19
June statement, the ministry noted that Turkmen demands that the
Russian authorities curb the Russian media remain unanswered. It also
attacked Duma Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Rogozin for his
remarks about the situation in Turkmenistan on a Russian television
program broadcast on 19 June. The Turkmen Foreign Ministry ended its
statement by saying that if the Russian media campaign continues,
Turkmenistan will appeal to the UN and other international
organizations. BB

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

[36] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT SAYS HE HAS REJECTED 'BILLIONS OF DOLLARS' IN
INVESTMENTS

President Alyaksandr Lukashenka told a government seminar on
investments that he was chairing on 19 July that he has "lately"
rejected investment offers worth roughly "$10 billion," Belarusian
Television reported. "There are such investments that will put you in
bondage if you accept them," the Belarusian leader said. "In essence,
these were offers of credits [and] of the purchase of our enterprises
dirt-cheap. These were the billions we had to turn down." Lukashenka
also said that in the past 10 years, Belarus has seen $4 billion in
foreign investments, including $2.5 billion in loans given under
government guarantees. JM

[37] STUDENTS OF ELITE BELARUSIAN SCHOOL PROTEST APPOINTMENT OF
PRINCIPAL

Some 200 students of the National Humanities Lyceum and their parents
staged an unauthorized demonstration near the presidential office in
Minsk on 19 June to protest the recent nomination of a new principal,
Belapan reported. Last week, the Ministry of Education appointed Tamara
Scherbachevich to replace Uladzimir Kolas, who had headed the state-run
school for five years. The National Humanities Lyceum is the only high
school in Belarus that provides instruction in all subjects in
Belarusian. The nomination was met with opposition from students,
parents, and teachers who claim that Scherbachevich does not speak
Belarusian and fails to meet the criteria for the top job at the elite
school. JM

In an address to the nation on Ukrainian Television on 19 June,
President Leonid Kuchma pledged to submit an amended version of his
constitutional-reform bill to the Verkhovna Rada the next day (see
"RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine Report," 11 March 2003). Kuchma
announced that he will withdraw his earlier proposals to introduce a
bicameral legislature, reduce the number of deputies, and apply the
results of national referendums directly, without seeking approval from
any other branch of government. "[These proposals] were the most
controversial between the president and his opponents," Kuchma said.
"But we do not have the right to involve ourselves in a tug-of-war, so
I removed these barriers." He also said he will retain his proposal
that the president, parliamentarians, and local deputies be elected for
five-year terms in elections held in the same year. JM

The Verkhovna Rada on 19 June voted 280 to 10 to re-elect Nina
Karpachova as the country's ombudswoman, Interfax reported. Karpachova
failed to secure the required majority of 231 votes in a May vote (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 16 May 2003). The same day, the parliament also
passed a bill that allows civilians to head the Defense Ministry and
assume leading posts in Ukraine's armed forces, and introduces the post
of ombudsman for servicemen. JM

Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer met with his Ukrainian counterpart
Leonid Kuchma and Premier Viktor Yanukovych in Kyiv on 19 June,
Ukrainian news agencies reported. The two sides signed four cooperation
accords. Trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $1.4
billion in 2002. JM

U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Richard Myers told
Estonia's armed forces commander Vice Admiral Tarmo Kouts in Tallinn on
19 June that the development of the country's military has been
impressive, BNS reported. He said he is sure that Estonia will be able
to make a strong contribution to NATO when it becomes a member of the
alliance. Defense Minister Margus Hanson thanked Myers for the
assistance the United States has provided to strengthen Estonia's
military capabilities and expressed the hope that close bilateral
cooperation will continue after Estonia's entry into NATO. Myers was
expected to see off an Estonian military unit departing for
peacekeeping operations in Iraq, but their flight was postponed for one
week. SG

Vaira Vike-Freiberga was re-elected to a second four-year term as
president during an extraordinary parliamentary session on 20 June by a
vote of 88-6, LETA reported. Her re-election was expected, as she was
the only candidate and had been nominated by the ruling coalition of
New Era, For the Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK, Union of Greens and
Farmers, and Latvia's First Party, as well as the opposition People's
Party. The opposition National Harmony Party also supported her
candidacy. Only the leftist Socialist Party and some independent
deputies opposed her re-election. Vike-Freiberga, after living in
Canada for almost 50 years, was elected president in 1999 with only 53
votes in parliament. She has succeeded in becoming the country's most
popular political figure, despite not being affiliated with any
political party. Her new term of office will begin on 8 July. SG

Finance Minister Dalia Grybauskaite and Michael Graham, head of the
European Commission's delegation in Lithuania, signed a financial
memorandum in Vilnius on 19 June granting Lithuania 52 million euros
($61 million) in aid for 2003 under the Phare program, ELTA reported.
This will be the final Phare program for Lithuania, as it is expected
to become an EU member next year and receive aid under the EU's
Transition Facility program. The funds must be used up by 30 November
2006 and will push the total amount Lithuania has received from the
Phare program since 1993 to 550 million euros. The assistance for 2003
is slated for 22 projects in various sectors, especially agriculture.
Four projects for the judicial and domestic spheres will receive around
12 million euros, which will finance the implementation of the Schengen
Acquis requirements for external-border control, the strengthening of
the network of prosecutors' offices, building up the national SIRENE
bureau, and combating corruption. Some 8.8 million euros will go to
projects for economic and social programs such as the opening of 300
locations for public Internet access and the renovation of a spa in
Druskininkai. SG

Cardinal Jozef Glemp, the primate of the Roman Catholic Church in
Poland, severely criticized the absence of a reference to God in the
preamble of the draft European Constitution on 19 June, Polish
Television reported. Glemp was delivering a homily to a crowd of 30,000
people who took part in a procession in Warsaw to celebrate the Corpus
Christi festival. "God is awkward for earthly rulers, and many prefer
to ignore Him and to deny His existence," Glemp said. " I remember
when, after the space flight by Yurii Gagarin, [Soviet leader Nikita]
Khrushchev assured us that there was no God, since Gagarin had not seen
him out there in space. Just as Khrushchev did not see God in the
cosmos, [European Convention President Valery] Giscard d'Estaing does
not see him in history and forbids the entry of God's name into the
constitutional treaty for Europe." JM

A German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said in Berlin on 19 June that a
statement issued by the Czech government the previous day regarding EU
accession and reconciliation with neighboring states "is a further
positive assertion of future-oriented bilateral relations" between the
Czech Republic and Germany, dpa reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19
June 2003). The Czech statement said that "neither World War II nor the
events and deeds of the period that followed it are acceptable from the
perspective of the present," according to CTK. Germany presumably
viewed this part of the statement as an allusion to the Benes Decrees
and the postwar expulsion of the German minority from Czechoslovakia.
In related news, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder stressed in an interview
with the daily "Passauer Neue Presse" of 19 June that the Benes Decrees
were a response to the Nazi attack on Czechoslovakia. Germany still
considers the expulsion of the German minorities from Czechoslovakia
and Poland and the confiscation of their assets to be an arbitrary act,
but at the same time Berlin believes the past will increasingly make
room for a new future within the EU, Schroeder said. MS

Austrian Foreign Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner on 19 June called the
Czech government's statement "a first positive step" and one that
should be "rejoiced in," CTK reported. Ferrero-Waldner was speaking in
Porto Karras, Greece, where EU leaders were gathering ahead of the EU
Thessaloniki summit. Ferrero-Waldner declined to speculate about
possible further moves by Prague. She said the Czech statement was
"very balanced" and, like Schroeder, she added that the expulsion of
the Sudeten Germans was a consequence of "the Nazi rule [in
Czechoslovakia], in which Austria also participated." In related news,
Czech Premier Vladimir Spidla praised Schroeder's statement to the
"Passauer Neue Presse," saying it emphasizes "both causes and
consequences." The two politicians met in Porto Karras, and Spidla
described the discussion as "very friendly." MS

Deputy Premier Petr Mares said on 19 June that he wants the Czech
government to task him with assessing possible compensation for members
of the German minority still living in the Czech Republic for
injustices against them in the past, CTK reported. Mares, who is also
chairman of the junior coalition Freedom Union-Democratic Union, said
no one knows how many Sudeten Germans still live in the country and
therefore no one can effectively estimate compensation levels. He added
that compensation for those who were forcibly resettled or used as
forced labor after the war is a moral issue. "If the [Czech] government
did not agree [to my proposal], it would mean that it does not want to
deal at all with this issue," Mares said. Previous hints by Mares at
compensation have met with silence from Premier Spidla and other
members of the government. MS

Finance Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said on 19 June that the government
does not have the resources to meet the demands of protesting trade
unions, CTK reported. Sobotka was reacting to protest demonstrations
and a warning strike launched by doctors and other workers earlier the
same day targeting government-backed austerity measures (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 19 June 2002). "To give up the plan for consolidating the
budget is too high a price to pay for assuaging the unions," he said.
In related news, Milan Kubek, head of the Doctors Trade
Union-Association of Czech Doctors, said on Czech Radio that his union
will launch a general strike if the warning strike brings no results. A
similar threat was made by Jaromir Dusek, head of the powerful railway
unions. MS

Former Polish dissidents Adam Michnik and Jacek Kuron were decorated in
Prague on 19 June, CTK reported. The medals were bestowed on them by
former President Vaclav Havel when he was still in office. Polish
Ambassador to the Czech Republic Andrzej Krawczyk received Kuron's
medal on the former dissident's behalf. Kuron could not attend the
ceremony due to illness. Michnik told CTK that he considers the
decoration a great honor and particularly symbolic, since it was one of
the last decorations conferred by Havel as president. He also said he
has not received any award in Poland, which is one more reason to
appreciate the Czech medal. "At the end [of Havel's term], he wanted to
decorate the people closest to him. I am glad that he included us among
these people," Kuron said in the message delivered by Ambassador
Krawczyk. MS

The Slovak parliament on 19 June approved a government request to
dispatch 85 military-engineering troops to Iraq, TASR and CTK reported.
The vote was 84 in favor and 15 against. The Slovak soldiers are to
serve as part of a multinational division led by Poland. They will
leave for Iraq by the end of July or in early August. MS

Recently named Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS) Director Ladislav
Pittner presented a report to parliament on 19 June outlining SIS
activities in 2002, TASR and AP reported. In it, Pittner asserts that
North Korean agents in Slovakia intended to smuggle sophisticated
weapons and support systems from Slovakia last year, according to AP.
"The SIS initiated the expulsion of a member of the North Korean
intelligence service, who directly organized these activities," the
report said, without elaborating on the agent's identity, his cover, or
the circumstances of the expulsion. Last week, the Interior Ministry
charged former Slovak National Party Chairman Vitazoslav Moric with
illegal arms trafficking, saying he attempted to export airport
equipment to North Korea (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 16 June 2003). MS

Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda said on 19 June that he opposes the
idea of a referendum on the European Constitution once that document is
approved, TASR reported. Dzurinda said the Slovak Constitution "clearly
stipulates that a referendum is needed only if we are to join a new
state formation." Dzurinda also stressed that the government received
public backing for EU membership in the country's May referendum (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 19 May 2003). Jan Figel, Slovakia's representative
to the European Convention at which the constitution has been debated,
said he favors submitting that document to a referendum, stressing that
"we should not be afraid of the people." MS

The Hungarian National Bank announced a major increase in its base
interest rate on 19 June -- 200 basis points, or 2 percentage points,
from 7.5 percent to 9.5 percent -- in an effort to drive the national
currency back into the desired range of 250 forints to the euro,
Hungarian media reported. That key rate was last raised by 100 basis
points on 10 June in an effort to bolster the forint. "The forint has
become very weak lately, and a long-term weakness can seriously
jeopardize our inflation target," central bank Governor Zsigmond Jarai
told the MTI news agency. Finance Minister Csaba Laszlo said the
greatest danger to the 5 percent inflation target is posed by rising
wages; in next year's budget, the government will seek to realign wages
in light of growth figures. According to Postabank analyst Orsolya
Nyeste, the central bank lost credibility when it devalued the forint
on 4 June (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5 June 2003), and the recent rate
hikes were effected because the bank had to make some kind of move to
restore the market's faith, Hungarian radio reported. MSZ

Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy said on 19 June that he suspects a
connection between recent political developments and "the surveillance
report" on the prosecutor-general that emerged this week (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 19 June 2003), Hungarian television reported. Medgyessy said
he suspects concerted attempts to discredit the government began with
the complaint lodged by former Prime Minister Viktor Orban at an
International Democratic Center (IDS) congress in Lisbon (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 11, 13, 17, and 19 June 2003) and continued with the
physical assault on Karoly Szasz, chairman of Hungary's Financial
Supervisory Authority (PSZAF). The senior coalition Socialist Party's
parliamentary group released a statement saying it is exploring whether
political intrigue lies behind recent events and suggested that
unspecified groups are working to discredit Hungarian democracy.
Opposition FIDESZ Deputy Chairman Zoltan Pokorni responded by calling
Medgyessy's commentary an "adventurous and romantic conspiracy theory,"
"Magyar Nemzet" reported. MSZ

A 20-page document containing allegations against PSZAF Chairman Szasz
was made public at a government press conference on 19 June, but the
identity of the author or authors remains unknown, "Napi Gazdasag"
reported the next day. The document reportedly alleges nine legal
violations in PSZAF operations and contracts. Szasz, who required
hospitalization after he was brutally attacked by unknown assailants on
16 June (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 and 18 June 2003), has told
reporters that the document in question is one in a series of attacks
on his position as head of PSZAF. "Napi Gazdasag" quoted Hungarian
state radio's website (http://www.radio.hu) as saying the document
contains allegations made during a parliamentary hearing on PSZAF
operations and therefore was most likely leaked by sources close to the
government. MSZ

Rexhep Hoti, who is an adviser to Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi, told
Reuters in Porto Carras on 19 June at the start of the EU summit that
U.S. involvement remains essential for peace and security in the
Balkans (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 June 2003 and "RFE/RL Balkan
Report," 13 and 20 June 2003). "All major issues concerning the western
Balkans and its future cannot be solved without the United States as
well as the EU," Hoti stressed. "The recent past...has proven this in
Bosnia, Kosova, and Macedonia. That's why the United States has to be
involved in the future, too. Europe alone cannot solve the problems of
the western Balkan countries." PM

Cristina Gallach, who is a spokeswoman for EU security- and
foreign-policy chief Javier Solana, told RFE/RL in Porto Carras on 20
June that the EU hopes that Serbian authorities and Kosovar Albanian
officials will take advantage of the EU summit to begin discussions,
even if only informally or in preparation for talks at a later time
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 June 2003 and "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 13 and
20 June 2003). She stressed that the two sides must talk and reach
agreements about economic and other relations, and that the EU is
prepared to help them at every stage of the process. Gallach added that
Solana has recently spoken with the leaders of the western Balkan
states and is doing all he can to make the summit a "big success" for
them. Serbian and Kosovar Albanian politicians alike have ruled out any
serious talks at the summit. PM

Erhard Busek, who heads the EU-led Balkan Stability pact, told RFE/RL
on 18 June that many people in the western Balkans are too optimistic
regarding the time frame for their country's admission to the EU and
the material benefits that engagement with the EU will bring (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 11,16 and 19 June 2003 and "RFE/RL Balkan Report,"
14 June and 6 December 2002 and 20 June 2003). Busek stressed that the
admission procedure is very painstaking and complex, and cannot be
completed in short order against an arbitrarily selected date. He
cautioned against "wishful thinking" by anyone regarding Kosova, adding
that the EU wants "sustainable solutions" in a regional context. Busek
noted that all the countries of the region have much work to do to
promote free media, sound infrastructure, and local democracy, and to
combat crime and corruption. PM

Michael Steiner, the outgoing head of the UN civilian administration in
Kosova (UNMIK), told Reuters in Belgrade on 19 June that the recent
murder of a Serbian family in Obilic might deter some Serbian refugees
from returning to Kosova but that many are coming back to their former
homes (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 13 and 20 June 2003). "I don't think
events like [the murders] can really stop the process because people
want to return. You have return, you have spontaneous return, you can
see it everywhere," Steiner added. He noted that in 2002 more
non-Albanians returned to Kosova than left it. To date in 2003, 1,000
Serbs have gone home. About 100,000 Serbs fled Kosova after the defeat
of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's forces in 1999.
Serbian political leaders in Belgrade and in Kosova stress that the
international community has not provided sufficient security for Serbs
to feel safe in the province. UNMIK says it is doing its best, that
matters are improving, and that perfect security does not exist
anywhere in the world (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 June 2003). PM

On 19 June, Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic formally submitted Serbia
and Montenegro's application to join NATO's Partnership for Peace
program, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 and 27 May and 16 June 2003). In a letter to
the British Ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro, Charles Crawford,
Svilanovic stressed that membership will help promote democratic
reforms and stability in the region. In Brussels, a NATO spokesman said
the alliance accepts the application "with pleasure" and will "take
appropriate steps." PM

[62] SERBIAN POLITICAL ROW CONTINUES OVER ALLEGED GOVERNMENT LINKS TO
CRIMINALS

Charges and countercharges are intensifying following recent comments
by a Belgrade prison guard that Deputy Prime Minister Cedomir
Jovanovic, who is a leader of the late Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic's
Democratic Party, repeatedly visited a top figure in the criminal
"Zemun clan" in prison two years ago, Serbian media reported on 20
June. Jovanovic has neither confirmed nor denied charges that he
visited the imprisoned Dusan Spasojevic "Siptar," whom the government
recently linked to two aides of former Yugoslav President Vojislav
Kostunica, a rival of Djindjic (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 8 April 2003 and
"RFE/RL Balkan Report," 9 May 2003). In Belgrade on 19 June, Deputy
Prime Minister Zarko Korac charged Kostunica's Democratic Party of
Serbia (DSS) with blackening Djindjic's name by publicizing the guard's
statements that he had previously seen Djindjic at Spasojevic's home.
Justice Minister Vladan Batic called on Interior Minister Dusan
Mihajlovic and chief prosecutor Djordje Ostojic to investigate whether
supposedly maximum-security prisoners are indeed able to have frequent
visitors without special permission from designated authorities. PM

Speaking during a visit to the EU Concordia military mission's
headquarters in Skopje, parliamentary speaker Nikola Popovski said on
19 June that there should be no more foreign military missions in
Macedonia after 1 January, MIA news agency reported. "After an entire
decade of...military missions, there will not be any need for an
international military presence in Macedonia, which will take care of
its own security," Popovski said. He suggested that the EU military
mission could be replaced by a police mission, but added this should be
decided after consultations at the government level (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 17 April, 30 May, and 10 June 2003 and "RFE/RL Balkan
Report," 15 November 2002 and 17 January 2003). UB

A joint session of Romania's bicameral parliament on 19 June validated
in a secret vote the trimmed-down cabinet headed by Premier Adrian
Nastase by a vote of 267 in favor to seven against, RFE/RL's Bucharest
bureau reported. The opposition Greater Romania Party (PRM), National
Liberal Party (PNL), and Democratic Party walked out of the session,
arguing that the procedure was unconstitutional and that the cabinet
should have presented a new program and asked for a renewed vote of
confidence. Premier Nastase and other representatives of the ruling
Social Democratic Party countered that the PNL and the Democrats used
the same procedure to reshuffle the cabinet when they were in power in
1996-2000. The new cabinet was later sworn in on 19 June by President
Ion Iliescu. MS

In an interview with Mediafax on 19 June, Premier Nastase said the
cabinet he headed since 2000 until the restructuring was the best
performing government since the 1989 anticommunist uprising. Nastase
said the cabinet's recent "reorganization" is not due to poor
performance, but to the fact that the composition of the cabinet must
reflect the country's changing priorities. The main priority now, he
said, is achieving EU membership by 2007, which calls for closer
cooperation among ministries. This is easier to achieve with a smaller
team, Nastase said. MS

[66] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT HOLDS CONSULTATIONS ON NEW ELECTORAL LAWS,
CONSTITUTION

President Iliescu held consultations on 19 June with the leaders of
parliamentary political parties on the envisaged amendments to the
current electoral laws and the country's constitution, Romanian Radio
and Mediafax reported. Democratic Party Chairman Train Basescu told
Iliescu that his party wants the parliamentary and presidential
elections held at the same time, because the "rules of the game must
not be changed in the middle of the game." Basescu said the amended
constitution could stipulate that the two ballots be separate and that
this rule could go into force after the next elections. PNL Chairman
Theodor Stolojan presented a similar position. PRM Chairman Corneliu
Vadim Tudor claimed the intention to amend the election laws indicates
that the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) is considering electoral
fraud. Tudor also said the constitution should not be amended before a
European Constitution is agreed upon by EU members and candidates.
Premier Nastase said the PSD has prepared an alternative proposal for
amending the basic document, should the opposition persist in its
threat to vote against the amendments it agreed to in the ad hoc
commission. This alternative, Nastase said, refers only to those
constitutional articles aimed at making European integration possible.
MS

The Romanian parliament unanimously approved on 19 June President
Iliescu's request for the deployment of 678 peacekeepers to Iraq as
part of the international effort to stabilize that country, Mediafax
and AP reported. Romania will send an infantry battalion, military
police, demining units, and 20 officers to Iraq. MS

Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana said that the Black Sea's contentious
Serpent Island belongs to Ukraine, the daily "Ziua" reported on 20
June, citing an interview Geoana recently gave to Amos News. Geoana
said that "regardless of historic injustice, the 1946 Paris Peace
treaty incorporated the island into the Soviet Union contrary to any
norm of international justice, while political reality after 1990
confirmed this fact." He said the dispute with Ukraine is not over
which country the island belongs to, but on the delimitation of the
Black Sea's continental shelf. Romania regards the island as
uninhabited, while Ukraine claims it has "an economic life of its own,"
Genoa said. Should Ukraine stick to its claim, he added, Romania might
take the case to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, as
stipulated in the basic treaty between the two countries in the event
they fail to reach agreement on the issue. According to international
law, if the court rules that the island is uninhabited, Ukraine cannot
lay claim to unilateral economic exploitation of oil reserves within
200 miles from the island. MS

Official results of the census conducted in March 2002 show that
Romania's population has dropped by more than 1 million people over the
last decade, Mediafax reported. On 18 March 2002, the country's total
population was 21,680,974, which represents a return to figures
recorded in 1977, according to National Statistics Institute Chairman
Aurel Camara. Camara said the decline is primarily due to a fall in the
birth rate and a rise in emigration, which resulted in a yearly
negative average growth of minus 0.5 percent over the last decade. He
also said that during the same time period the rural population grew
significantly, but did not result in a rise in the number of people
employed in the agriculture sector. Rather, Camara said, the growth is
due to migration to satellite settlements in the vicinity of large
urban areas. Whereas in 1992 there were 1,034 women per 1,000 men, in
2002 there were 1,051 women to every 1,000 men. The average age of
women is 38.6, whereas that of men is 36.9, Camara said. Nearly 90
percent (89.5) declared their ethnicity as Romanian, 6.6 said they are
ethnic Hungarians, 2.5 percent said they are Romany, and 0.3 percent
each German or Ukrainian. However, 91 percent named Romanian as their
native language and 6.7 percent said Hungarian is their first language.
MS

One day after being warned by International Monetary Fund (IMF)
official Marta Castello-Branco that Moldova must pass a law on
pre-shipment inspection (PSI) before the fund will resume disbursing
loans to the country (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 June 2003), the
Moldovan parliament approved the first reading of this legislation,
Infotag reported. The bill was supported by the ruling Party of
Moldovan Communists and by the opposition Popular Party Christian
Democratic. MS

Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev agreed with his Russian counterpart
Mikhail Kasyanov during a visit to St. Petersburg earlier this week to
set up a joint team of experts to examine Moldova's debt to Russia for
gas deliveries, Infotag reported. The team is expected to submit its
conclusions by 27-28 June, when the countries' joint governmental
commission is to meet in Moscow. Tarlev said Moldova is ready to
gradually pay its debt, provided that debt is restructured. Kasyanov
confirmed an earlier agreement to have the debt restructured on terms
set by the Paris Club, and said the same mechanism could apply to
payments for current deliveries. Moldova owes more than $1 billion to
Russia for gas deliveries, including some $700 million owed by
Transdniester. MS

The first meeting of the Joint Economic Task Force, which is a joint
Moldova-U.S. governmental committee, was held in Chisinau on 19 June,
Infotag reported. The setting up of the committee was decided during
Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin's visit to the White House last
December. Moldovan committee co-chairman and Deputy Premier Stefan
Odagiu said the task force was set up to help establish a dialogue with
the participation of the U.S. State Department, the Treasury
Department, and the U.S. Agency for International Development, and aims
to help Moldova implement reforms to establish a market economy,
stimulate economic growth, and attract foreign investment. U.S.
committee co-Chairman Tom Adams said Washington wants to see Moldova
develop into a democratic country. MS

[73] BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES NEW REGULATIONS FOR UNDERCOVER
AGENTS

Interior Minister Georgi Petkanov announced on 19 June that the
government the same day approved a decree regulating the infiltration
of undercover agents of the National Service for Combating Organized
Crime (NSBOP) into the state administration and state-owned companies,
mediapool.bg reported. Petkanov underscored that undercover agents will
be used only if other means of investigation fail to achieve results.
He added that under the decree, undercover agents may not be used to
investigate political parties, the president's office, the parliament,
the judiciary, as well as those departments in charge of the country's
security and defense (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 June 2002 and 7 February
2003 and End Note, "RFE/RL Newsline," 28 June 2003). UB

In reaction to a recent series of attacks on tax inspectors and customs
officers, Finance Minister Milen Velchev on 19 June demanded that the
Interior Ministry take action against such incidents and arrest the
perpetrators, mediapool.bg reported. Velchev's call came after the head
of the customs intelligence service at the Black Sea port of Varna was
severely beaten by unknown attackers on 17 June. Velchev suggested that
the rising number of attacks on officials is a response to reform
efforts in his ministry (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 May and 17 June
2003). UB

[75] FOREIGN MINISTER HAILS FORMER KING'S ROLE IN RESCUE OF BULGARIAN
JEWS

Speaking at an OSCE-organized conference on the problems posed by
anti-Semitism, Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi said in Vienna on 19 June
that if Europe had followed Bulgaria's example, 5 million-6 million
Jews who were killed in the Holocaust could have been saved,
mediapool.bg reported. Pasi lauded the positive role King Boris III and
the government played in the rescue of Bulgarian Jews during World War
II. King Boris III is Prime Minister Simeon Saxecoburggotski's father.
According to Pasi, the ethnic and religious tolerance that Bulgarians
have exhibited for centuries is one of the key moral qualities with
which the nation enters a united Europe (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13, 16,
17, and 18 June 2003). UB

According to a report on the situation of Bulgaria's youth presented by
Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Tatyana Kostadinova on 19 June, more
than 400,000 persons aged 15-50 are prepared to leave Bulgaria, news.bg
reported. Statisticians calculate that the country's population has
fallen by about 1 million people since 1989 to the current 7.9 million
people. The report also suggests that the negative population trend
continues not only due to large-scale emigration, but also because of a
falling birth rate. UB

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry has reportedly appointed a new
representative to the League of Arab States, London-based "Al-Zaman"
reported on 19 June. In a letter sent to the Arab League's general
secretariat, the Foreign Ministry named Safa al-Bayati as the Iraqi
representative. Al-Bayati replaces former representative Muhsin Khalil.
KR

Turkish officials reopened Habur, its main border crossing with
northern Iraq, on 19 June following a one-day closure, Reuters reported
the same day. Ankara gave no clear reason for the closure, with Turkish
Foreign Ministry spokesman Huseyin Dirioz noting that it was sparked by
disruptions on the Iraqi side of the border, IRNA reported. The
incident is likely related to recent friction between the Kurdistan
Democratic Party (KDP), which controls the Iraqi side of the border,
and Turkish authorities. In early June, the KDP introduced a $100
crossing fee for commercial trucks, citing the "financial crisis" in
Iraqi Kurdistan as the reason. Truck drivers refused to pay the fee,
and long lines and harsh criticism from the Turkish government and the
United Nations ensued. The KDP then lowered the fee to $20,
Kurdishmedia.com reported on 10 June. Meanwhile, Istanbul's NTV
reported on 18 June that KDP Peshmerga manning the checkpoint refused
to allow 40 Iraqi Turkoman businessmen to cross into Turkey because
they were not carrying the proper papers, including passports. Turkish
Foreign Ministry officials intervened, requesting KDP assistance in
facilitating the crossing, but the KDP reportedly still refused,
allegedly prompting Turkish officials to close the border crossing in
retaliation. Habur is the major crossing for petrol and commercial
goods between the two states, with some 700 cars and trucks crossing
the border each day. KR

The prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government and a
representative of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Nechirvan Idris
Barzani, has been chosen to lead the Unified Kurdistan Regional
Government, Kurdishmedia.com reported on 17 June. Adnan Mufti, the
current deputy prime minister of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
(PUK)-led regional government based in Al-Sulaymaniyah, will serve as
deputy prime minister in the unified government. The report says the
KDP will have six ministers in the government, while the PUK will have
five. The two Kurdish parties last week agreed to merge their regional
administrations (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 June 2003). KR

U.S. government officials have said that new intelligence, culled
primarily through intercepted communications between fugitive members
of the Saddam Fedayeen and the Iraqi intelligence service, indicates
that deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is alive, "The New York
Times" reported on 20 June. The search for Hussein and his sons Qusay
and Uday is being led by Task Force 20, which the daily describes as a
"secret military organization" overseen by the CIA and manned by U.S.
Army Delta Force personnel and members of the U.S. Navy's
counterterrorism unit (SEAL Team Six). According to "The New York
Times," two U.S. Defense Department officials said the intercepted
communications between Hussein loyalists included credible discussions
indicating that Hussein is alive and must be protected. KR

U.S. officials have said that the most senior Iraqi officials in U.S.
custody appear to be highly trained in resisting U.S. interrogation
techniques, even coercive ones, "The New York Times" reported on 20
June. The captives have provided little information of value about
Hussein, according to the report. U.S. forces this week arrested the
fourth-placed suspect on CENTCOM's list of the 55 most-wanted members
of the deposed Hussein regime (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 June 2003),
who officials believe might know the whereabouts of Hussein. New
operations are reportedly under way to locate the deposed leader. KR

"The New York Times" reported on 20 June that little is known about the
U.S. military's Task Force 20. What is known has only recently been
acknowledged by U.S. officials. Task Force 20 is reportedly the same
task force that has led the search for weapons of mass destruction
(WMD). The task force reports to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) head
General Tommy Franks. CENTCOM spokesman James Wilkinson has refused to
comment on the task force or its mission, the daily reported. But other
unnamed U.S. officials have said the task force is supported by several
intelligence agencies, including the CIA, and is capable of reacting
quickly to intelligence collected by electronic eavesdropping equipment
and satellites. KR

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on 19 June declared its
unhappiness with the lack of cooperation provided by Tehran to date,
Reuters reported. The IAEA board of governors debated an internal
report (www.fas.org/nuke/guide/iran/iaea0603.html) for two days before
criticizing Tehran's failure to comply with related agreements. "The
board shared the concern expressed by [IAEA Director-General Mohammad
el-Baradei] in his report at the number of Iran's past failures to
report material, facilities, and activities as required by its
safeguards obligations," the IAEA said. The IAEA board encouraged
Iranian transparency and willingness to accept inspections at short
notice, in order to allay concerns that Iran is using its nuclear-power
program for weapons development. The board also discouraged the
introduction of nuclear material at the Natanz enrichment facility. BS

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters aboard Air Force One
on 19 June that the IAEA statement is a welcome one, the State
Department's Bureau of International Information Programs
(http://usinfo.state.gov) reported. The IAEA statement reinforces U.S.
President George W. Bush's message that the world is against
proliferation and wants to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear
weapons, Fleischer said. "If the Iranians are pursuing peaceful nuclear
energy, as they claim they are, then they have every reason to comply
with the IAEA's request, particularly the two specific requests to take
the environmental sample and to sign the Additional Protocol" of the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Fleischer said. Fleischer reiterated
President Bush's stance that the international community "will not
tolerate Iranian development of nuclear weaponry, which is exactly what
the IAEA report is all about." BS

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told journalists in Greece on 19
June that Iran is risking international isolation, RFE/RL reported.
"Iran wants to improve trade, educational, technological, and
scientific links with the whole of the rest of the advanced world," he
said. "If they want that then they have to respond, as we do, for
example, by accepting fully inspections of their nuclear facilities."
He also said "there is increasing impatience inside the European Union
about Iran's failure to fully cooperate with the International Atomic
Energy Agency." Greece currently holds the rotating EU Presidency, and
Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou said on 19 June that "we will
take our lead from the IAEA," the "Financial Times" reported on 20
June. "At the same time, we will keep talking to Iran, asking it to
accept the additional IAEA protocol," he said. "There is a need for
full transparency." BS

Russian Atomic Energy Ministry spokesman Nikolai Shingarev said on 19
June that the major provisions of the IAEA statement coincided with the
Russian position, ITAR-TASS reported. "This statement opens the way to
closer cooperation between Iran and the IAEA and gives hopes that Iran
will sign the Additional Protocol," Shingarev said, adding that the
IAEA's position and Iran's desire for greater transparency in its
nuclear program open the way for even greater cooperation between
Tehran and Moscow in nuclear engineering. Moreover, Russian Deputy
Foreign Minister Yurii Fedotov said the IAEA statement will not
negatively affect Iran-Russia relations, according to ITAR-TASS. BS

In a major Moscow press conference with more than 700 journalists on 20
June, President Vladimir Putin said that he has been assured in recent
days by Iranian President Mohammad Khatami that Tehran has no plans to
develop nuclear weapons, Russian and Western media reported. Putin said
that, according to information available to him, Iran has agreed to
sign the IAEA's Additional Protocol to expand international inspections
of Iran's nuclear program. Putin said that Russia's position on Iran's
nuclear program is much closer to that of the United States than many
seem to think. Both Washington and Moscow, Putin said, expect all
countries to comply with international nonproliferation regimes,
especially countries like Iran that have signed the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty. Moscow categorically insists that Iran comply
with all IAEA regulations and has noted that the latest IAEA
inspections uncovered no violations on Tehran's part, Putin said. VY

Tehran Justice Department head Abbasali Alizadeh said on 19 June that
Said Asqar, a leader of the Ansar-i Hizbullah hard-line vigilantes who
were behind much of the unrest that began on 10 June, as well as his
cohorts, will be tried soon, IRNA reported. Alizadeh said he does not
know how many of the vigilantes were arrested, nor does he know if
their trials will be open or closed. Asqar received a 15-year prison
sentence for shooting reformist ideologue Said Hajjarian in March 2000
(see "RFE/RL Iran Report," 27 March 2000 and 29 May 2000), but he was
out on bail when he participated in the recent unrest. Ansar-i
Hizbullah gets backing from Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, makes use of
Islamic Revolution Guards Corps resources, and is funded by the
Oppressed and Disabled Foundation. But these issues never came up
during Asqar's previous trial, and in the trial relating to hard-line
violence at Tehran University in July 1999 none of the people believed
to back or direct Ansar-i Hizbullah were mentioned. BS

Mohammad Hussein Niazmand, who heads the Ansar-i Hizbullah in Mashhad,
said in the 18 June "Toseh" newspaper that three groups are responsible
for the recent unrest in Iran. One group is trying to cause
disturbances; another group gets involved out of religious concern; and
the third group "consists of mercenaries who receive their directives
from [foreign] radio stations, the satellite [television networks], and
the enemies." Hizbullah will act on the supreme leader's orders and
will defend the system, he explained: "Hizbullah will be a punch on the
mouth for those idle talkers who tend to strike blows at Islam. At the
right time, we will smash the teeth of the United States and its local
agents. Our stances are same as those of the leader." Niazmand added,
"Be assured that if the leader issues the order, Hizbullah, by means of
a surgical operation, will remove all the agents of America, regardless
of their post and position, from the body of the regime." He concluded
with a brief description of his organization's stance on foreign and
domestic issues, saying, "Our people deny any room for America in this
country.... Our people support the regime and the leader. Our people
are those who participate in the rallies." BS

NATO is mulling a plan to send peacekeepers into the provinces to
support coalition reconstruction teams when it takes command of the
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in August, Reuters
reported on 18 June. Four U.S.-led Provincial Reconstruction Teams are
already operating in parts of Afghanistan; under the proposal that
number would increase to 16 and ISAF troops would be deployed to
improve security in those areas so rebuilding can progress unimpeded.
General Jack Deverell, NATO's commander in chief in North Europe, told
reporters the alliance needs to "expand [Chairman Hamid] Karzai's area
of influence and use ISAF's capabilities to help him do that." It was
unclear whether ISAF's numbers would increase or how many soldiers
would be sent to support the teams. The Afghan Transitional
Administration, the United Nations, and aid groups have called for
ISAF's expansion outside Kabul in order to quell unruly regional
commanders and extend the central government's authority, but aid
organizations fear the NATO plan will blur the line between military
and humanitarian activities and potentially endanger aid workers, who
could be mistaken for soldiers. TH

[91] ...AS PAKISTAN'S PRESIDENT CALLS FOR THREEFOLD INCREASE OF
PEACEKEEPERS

After meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in London,
Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf said on 18 June that the
situation in Afghanistan is "not going as well as we'd expected" and
that he would like to see 40,000-50,000 troops stationed there, "The
Independent" reported. Such a force could secure up to 15 regional
centers, Musharraf said, addressing the "vacuum in the countryside"
that, if ignored, "will be filled by forces that are against peace."
Nearly 5,000 ISAF soldiers are currently stationed in Kabul to conduct
patrols and 11,000 coalition troops are hunting Taliban and Al-Qaeda
remnants elsewhere in the country. Musharraf suggested the United
States and NATO members could supply the additional troops. British
authorities confirmed that Afghanistan was a topic of discussion at
Blair's and Musharraf's 17 June meeting but said only that discussions
would continue, indicating no agreements were reached. TH

The Afghan Transitional Administration has announced it will launch a
drive in July to disarm tens of thousands of fighters but that Defense
Ministry reform must come first, Beirut's "The Daily Star" reported on
19 June. Transitional Administration Chairman Karzai said the ministry,
which is headed by a group of ethnic Tajiks under the leadership of
Defense Minister Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim, "has to be seen by the
Afghan people as belonging to the entire country," adding that reforms
must be undertaken in the next few months. Karzai has come under
pressure from the UN to make the ministry more representative of
Afghanistan's ethnic mix lest suspicion of it undermine efforts to
disarm regional militias. According to VOA, the 1 July campaign will
target soldiers who are on the central government's payroll but whose
loyalties tend to regional commanders. The UN-supported program, which
will offer cash and jobs to fighters who surrender their weapons, is
projected to take up to three years. TH

The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) and the UN
voiced concern over the 17 June arrest in Afghanistan of two
journalists on charges of defaming Islam, AP reported. UN spokesman
Manoel de Almeida e Silva called the country's press laws ambiguous and
justification for the detentions "unclear." "Aftab" Editor Mir Husayn
Mahdawi and Deputy Editor Ali Riza Payam were reportedly arrested on
orders issued by the Attorney General's Office for publishing an
article on 11 June titled "Holy Fascism" that criticized Islam (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 18 June 2003). The weekly's offices have been shut
down, according to Deputy Information Minister Abdul Hamid Mubarrez.
Representatives from the AIHRC and the UN visited Mahdawi and Payam in
a Kabul jail and reportedly found them in good condition. TH

Armed looters are excavating Afghanistan's archeological sites and
smuggling artifacts to Pakistan, London's "The Guardian" reported on 19
June. According to an unidentified official quoted by the newspaper,
the network is a "very professional" one staffed by Pakistanis
operating under the protection of regional commanders. Police have
reportedly confiscated several Buddha heads dug up from a site in Logar
Province, and Kabul Museum Director Omar Khan Masudi said authorities
have recovered 400 artifacts from looters, although he estimates many
more have been smuggled out of the country. UNESCO is reportedly
planning to issue a list of 100 Afghan cultural treasures later this
year in an appeal to private collectors and dealers to return them. The
UN cultural organization is also shoring up the massive stone alcoves
that used to house the two giant Bamiyan Buddhas destroyed by the
Taliban, although there are no plans to rebuild the statues themselves,
which were estimated to be 1,500 years old. TH

On 22 June, Tajikistan's citizens will go to the polls in a national
referendum on a series of constitutional amendments intended to update
the country's 1999 constitution. Fifty-six amendments are being
proposed, many of which are unexceptional, linguistic, or grammatical
changes. But seeded among them are some extremely controversial
innovations that could affect Tajik politics and society for decades.
Rather than let voters pick and choose, the government is requiring
them to approve or reject all 56 amendments in a package by answering
the single question: "Do you support making changes and additions to
the Constitution of the Republic of Tajikistan?" Political opponents of
President Imomali Rakhmonov have already warned that, by hook or by
crook, the government will make sure it gets the result it wants.

While voters will shrug over many of the proposed changes (Amendment 1
is to capitalize the words "We, the people of Tajikistan" in the
constitution's preamble) three have generated particular concern. (For
the text of proposed amendments, see http://www.patriot.com.tr.tc.) A
revision of Article 38 would effectively end the current guarantee of
free health care ("Everyone has the right to free medical treatment in
state health establishments") by adding the rider, "within limits
determined by law." In similar fashion, the existing right to free
higher and vocational education contained in Article 41 would be
abolished. The new version would read, "Everyone, within limits
determined by law, may receive free general secondary education, as
well as beginning, secondary, and higher professional education in
state educational establishments."

The key change, however, would be to Article 65, which now limits a
president to serving a single seven-year term in office.
Inconspicuously tucked at the bottom of the 37th proposed amendment, it
reads simply, "to replace the words 'one term' with the words 'two
terms.'" Rakhmonov is currently serving the fourth year of his term
under new constitutional provisions passed in 1999. Amending Article 65
would pave the way to extending Rakhmonov's term in office. In fact it
would permit the president to run for re-election two more times after
his present term expires in 2006, conceivably keeping the 50-year-old
incumbent in office until 2020. In the opinion of many observers, this
is the whole point of the referendum exercise, with the other
amendments merely serving as window dressing to disguise what is
essentially a power grab.

Rakhmonov has denied any such intent. "I have been and I am still
against being an all-powerful leader. The constitution is not just for
Rakhmonov," he said in April, as reported by tajikistantimes.ru. His
position has been that the constitution needs amending to better
reflect post-civil war circumstances, eurasianet.org noted on 12 June.

But Tajik oppositionists have been outspoken in condemning the
referendum as a power grab and a sham. An appeal by the National
Movement of Tajikistan (NMT), reported by Asia Plus-Blitz on 12 June,
alleged that the sole aim of the referendum is to enable Rakhmonov to
remain in office and that "to achieve its goals the government might
use all the administrative and financial resources at its disposal and
the services of the power-wielding agencies, as well as resorting to a
direct falsification of the voting results as happened with the
referendum and presidential election of 1998." NMT leader Hokimsho
Muhabbatov added that any change to Article 65 must not be permitted to
apply to the incumbent, otherwise it would guarantee the total
domination of Rakhmonov's People' Democratic Party and the death of
multiparty democracy in Tajikistan.

The NMT appeal was sent to the United States, the European Union, the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the countries
guaranteeing the General Agreement on Peace and National Accord of 1997
that ended the Tajik civil war and requested them to intervene to force
the cancellation of the referendum. Since the present constitution was
established on the basis of that peace accord, the NMT said it regards
"all changes and additions proposed to the constitution, especially
changes made to Article 65, as a breach of the General Peace Agreement
and an attempt to usurp political power in the country."

Four Tajik political parties summed up their views on the referendum at
a news conference in Dushanbe on 16 June. Mahmadruzi Iskandarov, leader
of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan (DPT), called on party members to
boycott the vote. He said the president and parliament have ignored the
DPT's recommendations about the amendments, and that consequently the
party does not want to be held responsible for them. Iskandarov claimed
the referendum's outcome is predetermined anyway. The order has already
gone out to all regional and municipal heads to return to a vote of 95
percent in favor, he alleged, or else the responsible officials will be
sacked, Asia Plus-Blitz reported.

At the same press conference, Social Democratic Party Chairman
Rahmatullo Zoirov said he sees no point in boycotting the referendum.
He asserted that only 1-2 percent of voters are familiar with the
proposed amendments, and only 30-35 percent even know that the
referendum is to take place. Moreover, due to the large exodus of Tajik
labor migrants -- at least 220,000 according to official statistics, in
reality probably many more -- a sizeable proportion of potential voters
will not be able to take part in the referendum, Zoirov said.

Meanwhile acting Socialist Party Chairman Mirhuseyn Narziev said his
party will participate in the plebiscite, although he personally plans
to vote against the amendments because he believes they will undermine
social stability and lead to more poverty and ignorance, which in turn
could provide fertile ground for extremism and terrorism. Two
pro-government parties, the president's own People's Democratic Party
and the newly formed Vahdat, told journalists they support the
amendments.

Conspicuously absent from the 16 June news conference were
representatives of Tajikistan's main opposition party, the Islamic
Renaissance Party (IRP). The party has opposed the referendum from the
beginning, arguing that the 1999 constitution is too new to start
modifying it already and that ramming through amendments after only a
few months of desultory debate could destabilize Tajik political life.
But this stance has led to mounting tensions between Rakhmonov and the
IRP, which must watch its step doubly carefully as an opposition party
with an Islamic coloring when crackdowns against Islamic groups are
being staged across Central Asia with renewed zeal.

The recent arrest of IRP Deputy Chairman Shamsiddin Shamsiddinov on
charges of creating an illegal armed group, allegedly responsible for a
variety of crimes including murders, highlighted government antagonism
toward the IRP. IRP Chairman Said Abdullo Nuri has since softened his
party's position, telling a press conference on 9 June that the IRP
will not support any statement issued by other antigovernment groups
hostile to the referendum on the grounds that such opposition could
lead to confrontation and instability, Asia Plus-Blitz reported. At the
same time, Nuri tried to maintain the IRP's oppositionist credentials
by indicating the party is not exactly in favor of the referendum,
either. "The holding of the referendum is not a priority," he said:
"The immediate task of the Tajik leadership ought to be poverty
reduction."

Meanwhile foreign governments and international organizations remain on
the sidelines. Visiting Dushanbe on 9 June, U.S. Deputy Assistant
Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Lynn Pascoe told Rakhmonov
that Washington is "interested in the referendum being held in
accordance with international standards and being consistent with the
necessary requirements," Tajik TV reported. "As far as the details of
the referendum are concerned, I think that it is Tajik society's own
business, not the U.S.A.'s, to discuss them," Pascoe said. He added
that he stressed the role the OSCE could and should play in helping to
ensure that elections and referendums meet international standards.

Unfortunately, neither the UN nor the OSCE is sending observers to
monitor the referendum because Tajikistan, either by design or
oversight, invited them to do so too late for them to prepare
monitoring missions. The OSCE chairman in office's personal envoy for
Central Asia, former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, did, however,
discuss the referendum with Rakhmonov during a visit to Tajikistan in
March. But as sources familiar with those discussions have informed
RFE/RL, Ahtisaari was not really the best man to drive it home to
Rakhmonov that in a modern democratic country it is not acceptable for
a president to remain in power for decades. Ahtisaari's predecessor but
one, Urho Kekkonen, was president of Finland for 26 years.